The Guardian and Cleantech Group recently announced the Global Cleantech 100. This is the first ever list of this scale highlighting the most promising private clean technology companies around the world.  The Global Cleantech 100 recognizes companies at the forefront of cleantech innovation offering solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.  The final list represents the collective opinion of hundreds of leading experts from cleantech innovation and venture capital companies in EMEA, North America, India and China, combined with the specific input of an expert panel of 35, drawn from well-respected organizations such as Altira Group, Crossover Advisors, Deloitte, Emerald Technology Ventures, Google, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers, New York Stock Exchange, NGEN Partners, Nth Power, New Enterprise Associates, Sterling Communications, Tsing Capital and Vantage Point Venture Partners.

The panel decided on companies that are currently regarded as having the potential and likelihood to achieve high growth and high market impact. Their thoughts were then combined with insights from the Cleantech Network™, the de facto industry association of international clean technology investors, entrepreneurs, large corporations and other industry insiders. Some 3,500 companies were nominated/considered.

“The first ever Global Cleantech 100 shines a spotlight on which companies and which technology areas the global innovation community is currently most excited about, from a commercial standpoint,” said Richard Youngman, managing partner at Cleantech Group. “Although none of these firms are exactly household names, their innovations and the business acumen of their leaders and investors mean that they are likely to have high impact on our future. The Global Cleantech 100 companies, and many other worthy peer companies, stand to enable environmental sustainability and generate economic growth.”

Companies in energy sectors dominate the global list, with 74 of the final 100 focused on energy generation, infrastructure, energy efficiency, and storage. Diminishing oil and gas reserves, rising global demand for power, and fluctuating market prices have focused efforts on new, more efficient methods of creating and providing energy, and saving and storing it.

Ten of The Most Promising Solar Companies

Concentrix Solar
Freiburg, Germany
Product description: Concentrator photovoltaics

Enphase
California, US.
Product description: Solar microinverters

G24 Innovations
Cardiff, UK.
Product description: Thin film solar cells

GreenVolts
California, US.
Product description: Concentrating photovoltaics

Heliatek
Dresden, Germany.
Product description: Organic solar cell systems

Infinia Corporation
Washington, US.
Product description: Solar power generation

QuantaSol
Kingston, UK.
Product description: Solar cells

Solairedirect
Paris, France.
Product description: Installation and operation of residential and commercial solar power

Solarcentury
London UK.
Product description: Solar energy consultancy for buildings

SolarCity
California, US.
Product description: Solar power system design, financing, installation, monitoring

View the full list of the most promising solar companies.

Five of The Most Promising Biofuel Companies

Amyris Biotechnologies
California, US.
Product description: Biofuels

BioGasol
Ballerup, Denmark.
Product description: Biofuels

Chemrec
Stockholm, Sweden.
Product description: Biofuels

Cobalt Biofuels
California, US.
Product description: Biofuels

Coskata
Illinois, US.
Product description: Feedstock-flexible, syngas-to-ethanol platform

The Most Promising Wind Company
ChapDrive
Trondheim, Norway.
Product description: Wind power

The Most Promising Wave Company
Marine Current Turbines
Bristol, UK.
Product description: Tidal power turbines for energy generation

Most Promising Geothermal Company
AltaRock Energy
California, US.
Product description: Engineered geothermal systems

View the full list of the most promising biofuel, wave, wind, tidal, and geothermal companies

The Most Promising Energy Efficiency Companies

Albeo Technologies
Colorado, US.
Product description: LED lighting

ChromoGenics
Uppsala, Sweden.
Product description: Glass

AlertMe
Cambridge, UK.
Product description: Smart energy service

CPower
New York, US.
Product description: Energy management

View All of The Most Promising Energy Efficiency Companies

The Most Promising Energy Storage Company

Bloom Energy
California, US.
Product description: Fuel cells

View The Full List of The Most Promising Energy Storage Companies

The Most Promising Recycling and Waste Management Company

MBA Polymers
California, US.
Product description: High value plastic recycling

View The Full List of The Most Promising Recycling and  Waste Management Companies

The Most Promising Transportation Company

Achates Power
California, US.
Product description: Clean diesel engines

View The Full List of The Most Promising Transportation Companies

The Most Promising Water and Wastewater Treatment Company

Danfoss AquaZ
Nordborg, Denmark.
Product description: Water treatment

View The Full List of The Most Promising Water and Wastewater Treatment Companies

View The Full Global Cleantech 100 List

Line Break

Author: Tracey de Morsella (323 Articles)

Tracey de Morsella started her career working as an editor for US Technology Magazine. She used that experience to launch Delaware Valley Network, a publication for professionals in the Greater Philadelphia area. Years later, she used the contacts and resources she acquired to work in executive search specializing in technical and diversity recruitment. She has conducted recruitment training seminars for Wachovia Bank, the Department of Interior and the US Postal Service. During this time, she also created a diversity portal called The Multicultural Advantage and published the Diversity Recruitment Advertising Toolkit, a directory of recruiting resources for human resources professionals. Her career and recruitment articles have appeared in numerous publications and web portals including Woman Engineer Magazine, Monster.com, About.com Job Search Channel, Workplace Diversity Magazine, Society for Human Resource Management web site, NSBE Engineering Magazine, HR.com, and Human Resource Consultants Association Newsletter. Her work with technology professionals drew her to pursuing training and work in web development, which led to a stint at Merrill Lynch as an Intranet Manager. In March, she decided to combine her technical and career management expertise with her passion for the environment, and with her husband, launched The Green Economy Post, a blog providing green career information and covering the impact of the environment, sustainable building, cleantech and renewable energy on the US economy. Her sustainability articles have appeared on Industrial Maintenance & Plant Operation, Chem.Info,FastCompany and CleanTechies.